Went to the swamp this morning and heard two birds gobble on the limb. One however only gobbled one time and I never heard him again on the limb or the ground. But this bird was gobbling at anything and everything. Had set up on this same bird yesterday with a buddy and tried to call him up an old dim road he roosts over. But he stayed put down next to an old cypress pond and wouldn't budge. So this morning I circled around him on a road that branched off the one he was roosted over and got around behind him. This also put me between him and the pond. Long walk and I barely got set up before I heard him gobble on the ground. Then I found out why we couldn't call him out of this little corner of land made by a creek running into the old cypress pond. Hens were roosted everywhere. They started making some soft tree yelps and he was going nuts and sometimes double gobbling. A couple of times I heard another bird gobble with him but I never laid eyes on that bird. I thought I was going to get to kill him without ever making a call to him but it didn't work out like that. Both gobblers were coming in my direction but towards my left hand side and right down the bank of the pond just over a ridge and out of my sight. Soon hens that had flown down were wandering all around me but the two gobblers were just over this ridge between me and the pond and not moving. Finally I picked up my slate and gave some soft yelps and the dominate bird thundered just over the ridge. But still they didn't come over the ridge. Then the old boss hen some where out directly in front of me started yelping and cackling at me. So I started fussing right back at her. I got her pretty pissed off and I was stringing together a series of clucks when he thundered over the ridge. In a few seconds I saw him out of the corner of my left eye running over the ridge. He was coming so fast it was almost funny looking. He was moving from my left to right and as he passed behind a bush and tree I raised my gun and when he cleared the other side I gave him a load of Winchester elite number 6's at 39 steps. (those Win Elite 6's are wicked killers by the way and due to their higher velocity I think penetrate better than Heavy 13 factory ammo)
Nothing fancy 16lbs, 10 1/4 inch beard, 3/4 inch spurs. But a very fun hunt and a great way to end my Alabama season
